The Gamble For Home
by thesummerstorms
Summary: The conclusion of Republic Commando: Order 66, the way it should have been. Follows original to a point, then goes AU. Instead of leaving Kashyyyk, Etain stayed to look for Sev and ended up on the run. Etain x Darman. T for violence. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The sound of a woman and a child laughing was swept across the plain by the wind, echoed off of the small clusters of trees that surrounded the bastion. A moment later it was joined by the indistinct voice of a man, maybe a _vod_, maybe not. Levet couldn't tell.

He took a hesitant step forward, the loose soil shifting slightly beneath his boots, taking a deep breath in the way of a man who can't quite believe he is free. _Manda'yaim_ wasn't like he had expected, but maybe that was for the best. The sky was hopeful enough, in its own way, a bright shade of teal that seemed incongruous with the galaxy at large. Levet didn't think he would have too hard a time adjusting to it. It was ... nice.

Levet headed in the direction of the laughter, the voices slowly becoming clearer as he went. He thought he recognized at least one, but couldn't place it. He knew it was important, somehow, but couldn't think why.

Within a few moments, he got his answer. Another clone in dark armor held a infant in his arms, and a familiar mess of tawny hair settled in a repulsor chair beneath the shade of a sturdy cluster of veshok trees just in front of the main building.

So General Tur-Mukan had made it. He found himself strangely pleased. After all, he quite liked the woman. She was a tough little thing beneath that tiny frame, all durasteel and wild compassion. She was hard not to like.

"_Kad'ika,_" the man said looking bemused at the distracted little boy and then glancing at the woman in the shade for an explanation, "Whats gotten into you _ad'ika_?"

"We have a visitor, Darman," General Tur-Mukan replied, shifting her chair so that she could see Levet. She had one arm in a sling, and most of her left leg was hidden in a steriplast cast, but seemed otherwise okay. She smiled when she saw him. Darman went to stand beside her and settled the baby- her son, Levet realized, the child she had been pregnant with on Qiilura- carefully on her lap before gesturing for to Levet to join them. _Kad'ika _looked on with wide eyes and a wide grin.

"Good to see you made it out, ma'am," Levet said carefully, "I heard things got a little nasty on Kashyyyk."

"I'm glad you made it out, too, Levet. It must have been hard."

_You have no idea._

True to his name, Levet tactfully said nothing. Darman held out his hand, and the commander shook it slowly. The former commando- Levet recognized him as one of Omega, now- seemed utterly at ease.

"Commander Levet, is it? I'm Darman. My brothers and I served with the 35th at Gaftikar, but I don't remember meeting you."

"It was a big battle."

"No kidding. Lots of _osik _hitting the fan at once," Darman paused for a moment, giving Tur-Mukan a quick glance before he continued, "I wanted to thank you, though. Etain says you looked after her on Qiilura. I'm grateful."

That made Levet a little uncomfortable, though he didn't know why. The General _had _needed a lot of looking after. Even pregnant, she couldn't bare not to serve alongside her men, and at times it had made him want to rip his hair out in frustration. Like in the minefield. Especially in the minefield.

Hoping to rid himself of the slight awkwardness, Levet changed the subject.

"So how'd you make it out, ma'am, if you don't mind my asking?"

General Tur-Mukan looked down for a moment at her child, who was currently amusing himself by playing with her hair, She gently removed the small fist's grip, and the child babbled happily at her.

"No, no _Kad'ika._"

"Etain?" Darman gently prompted, and she turned her gaze back to Levet.

"It's a long story."


	2. Defying Orders Pt 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Republic Commando or any aspect of Star Wars. I own Edenn Radeshine (quote below) and RC-6724 (quote below) but not any of the Star Wars aspects that make them who they are, such as being a Jedi or clone trooper. Snippets of dialog and plot are from the RC books, and I don't own those either. Even Karen Traviss doesn't technically own them, and she wrote them. Before attempting to take action, legal or otherwise, please contact me and see if we can't resolve it first. Now that the legal mumbo-jumbo's out of the way...

* * *

_Force preserve us all. We'll need it. Something big is coming, and whatever it is, it won't be good. _

- Jedi General Edenn Radeshine to RC-6724

**The Battle of Kashyyyk, afternoon, 1088 days After the Battle of Geonosis**

Etain was trembling like a Deralian flutterleaf in the wind. She was shaken; there was no pretending. Nearly getting your legs ripped off by a frustrated Wookiee tended to do that to a being. She was eternally grateful that even Enacca was afraid of Kal Skirata and his vendettas.

She still wasn't sure exactly how she had managed to persuade Enacca, although she suspected the Force must have had a hand in it. Not that she would consciously use it to influence the mind of a friend, but sometimes reflex happened. In particular, when you were arguing with a two meter tall being who was armed just by being.

What it had to be like for them right now- Boss, Scorch, Fixer. The agony there had to be close to unbearable. Thinking about what it would be like if she had been forced to abandon Darman, or even _Bard'ika _or one of Omega, all of whom were her family now, made Etain's brain want to shut down from the pain. She hadn't been able to do it on Qiilura, and she couldn't imagine it now.

But even if it stunned her, she found herself incapable of laying any blame on them. Maybe they deserved it, maybe not, but missing Sev had to be enough of a punishment.

_Hang in there, you guys. We'll find him. I swear._

From the next branch over, Enacca yowled at her. If she really insisted on doing this, the furry warrior told her, she would have to keep up. The Trandoshans and droids wouldn't give her time to be thoughtful, and Enacca only had so many eyes. At this rate, the lecture continued, Etain was going to kill herself by falling off a branch, and then no one would be happy. Etain would be dead, Kad would be motherless and Dar with out his mate, Sev would still be MIA, and Enacca would have to face down Kal. Which, the wookiee growled, was one of the last things she wanted to do.

Seeing her point, the little Jedi sped up and resolved to keep her eyes open.

They were heading to the Sev's last known location. The chances they'd find him there were slimmer than a starving rek, but there was no other place to start the search. Etain would just have to hope that either Enacca would pick up some kind of trail, or the Force would point her in the right direction.

Enacca asked a final time if she was sure about this. It would be safer, wiser, to head to Coruscant. Etain was sure.

If she was honest with herself, Etain wasn't sure how much she was doing this because it was the right thing to do, and how much of it was because she was trying to soothe her own guilt. Somehow she couldn't help but feel this was partially her fault.

Her joking around had helped cause this. She had challenged them to take the turbolaser faster than Omega. Rather than warning Delta of their chances, the tiny General had turned a possibly lethal mission into a joke because she thought it better for morale. Look where it had gotten them.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Etain signaled for her furry guide to pause for a moment, and pulled out her comlink to check her messages one last time before heading deeper into the forest. Further in, communications were still patchy at best and there was not guarantee anything would make its way in or out.

She scanned her way through most of them. They were operational, minor. A query from Camas that would undoubtedly keep. An informal sitrep of the 41rst's progress to read fully later. Orders from Vos, which she would ignore, and orders from Master Yoda which she would ignore with a slightly squirming but determined gut.

Then she saw it, and her head berated her heart for swinging from anxiety to elation. The message from Dar made her feel selfish, guilty at her moodswing, but she couldn't leave it.

_MHI SOLUS TOME, MHI SOLUS DAR'TOME, MHI ME'DINUI AN, MHI BA'JURI VERDE. _TRANSLATE AND RESPOND. RC-1136.

Her Mando'a was still halting, imperfect, and her knowledge of it far from complete. Still, she knew what that meant. All she had to do was repeat that vow and in Mandalorian law, which was crazily simple yet binding, she would be married. She would be a wife. She and Dar would be official.

"Of course I will," she said to herself. Enacca looked at her, but said nothing. Etain copied the vow carefully.

_DAR'IKA, _I'M SORRY I'M SO FAR FROM YOU. _MHI SOLUS TOME, MHI SOLUS DAR'TOME, MHI ME'DINUI AN, MHI BA'JURI VERDE. _I LOVE YOU, DAR, I'LL BE BACK BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

She scanned it once, taking a few more selfish moments to revel in the beauty of it, and then sent the message off. Sent it to her husband.

_Husband._

The word was awe-inspiring.

Etain let the wonder sink in for a second or two, and then put it away for later. Right now she couldn't be Etain, the lovesick Jedi. Sev needed her to be General Tur-Mukan, the soldier. Checking her conc rifle one last time, she turned to Enacca, who held her own comm in her hands.

She hoped they wouldn't be too late.

**Safe house, lower levels, Coruscant, 1088 days ABG**

"She's _what_?!" Kal demanded.

That, Jusik decided, was never a good opening note. Hehad felt Skirata's slight anxiety from the other room and came to check on his adoptive father, inadvertently stumbling right into the middle of a comm call. Kal had yet to notice his presence; Jusik reached out tentatively into the Force to see if he could get any of what was going on.

He needn't have bothered.

"Tell Etain..." Skirata said hotly, "I know ... yes, I know that! But we need her on her way _here_. We're pulling out soon. Endex. We can't afford to have her on Kashyyyk, dammit. Tell her to _make her way home_."

Ah, so that was what this was about. Etain, for some reason currently known only to herself, Skirata, and whoever was on the other end of the comlink, was refusing to leave Kashyyyk. Whatever the rationale, it wasn't going over well.

"She... I knowshe's stubborn Enacca. Yes, I heard that too... Fierfek, I don't care!"

Jusik's curiosity was spiked, but so was his anxiety. He came to stand directly behind Skirata, attempting to pick up on the Wookiee's braying. Between the gaps in his knowledge of the language and the comm interference he only got snatches.

"_Sev... abandon... Shadow Lands..." _came the Wookiee's howling.

"You're taking her down to the _Shadow Lands_ to look for him?! Are you insane? What makes you think... Trandoshans? You tracked them...? No, my thinking is that if something happens to Etain, or something goes wrong and we can't extract her then we'll all be in deep _osik_, especially once Darman finds out. Look, put her on the comlink."

Kal paused a moment, obviously waiting, and Jusik put a hand on his shoulder. The older man flinched, and spun around, then relaxed when he saw the familiar green armor.

"_Shab, Bard'ika,_ I'm already about to have a stroke."

"Sorry, _Kal'buir. _Is Etain giving you trouble, then?"

Kal nodded sharply, his face still stormy. Then he let out a small, weary sigh that made Bardan feel uncomfortable, like he should be doing something to help. Skirata was under enough constant stress as it was.

"Sev's gone missing," Kal said with new worry in his voice, "Delta got pulled off-planet, but Etain's digging her heels in and refusing to leave until he's found. The Wookiees have tried to convince her that they'd make the best search party. They've said they'll search for him, and that she should head off-world. She's not interested. Says that if she leaves a man behind -"

A sudden chirp came from Kal's comm and instantly he renewed his attempts at persuasion.

Jusik's head was spinning. Sev missing? How in the nine Corellian hells had he gotten separated from Delta? And more importantly, who had actually managed to convince the rest of the squad to leave him behind?

He was only mildly surprised at Etain, though. They had become friends over the last few years, and like him, she couldn't view the loss of any of her men as _acceptable. _She, of all Jedi, knew first hand that no one life was expendable, whether it be clone or not. These men were her family. They were his, too. He wondered how much it clouded their judgment at times like this.

In all honesty, Jusik didn't care.

"_Et'ika, _I know it's difficult, but you have to think about the long run. The Wookiees will find him; they know the territory a whole lot better than any human." Skirata's voice had become softer, more pleading, but not any calmer. "Even if you do find him, there's a huge possibility you'll both be stranded. Now Etain, just hear me out- Etain? Hello? Etain?" The sentence ended in a string of abrupt curses.

"Kal?" Jusik asked.

"We lost comms. She won't leave."

"Kal?"

"Yeah?"

Jusik thought for a moment, and then said slowly, "Do you think she's right? To hang around for Sev, I mean?"

"She thinks she is."

"That's not what I asked."

Skirata's face seemed to grow a little more pinched. He stood, striding towards the main room. Jusik followed him until they both stopped in the doorway. Kad was seated in the middle of the floor; Besany was showing him a holorecording of Darman and Etain that the couple had made for when they were both away. Skirata stopped to watch.

"Dada!" the baby cried, enthusiastically squeezing his soft plastoid block so that it squeaked, " Mama!"

"Right, _Kad'ika,_" Besany smiled back, "That's your Mama and Dada. They left this for you."

"... love you, _ad'ika_," Darman's recording was saying, grinning into the camera, and Etain's gave a small wave.

Kad was transfixed. He reached out to grab the shimmering blue light and seemed confused when the projection disappeared beneath his tiny palm. Besany gently pried off his fingers, but the recording had ended. The baby reached for the projector as if trying to figure out where his parents had gone.

"Ma?"

Skirata turned back to Jusik.

"If the circumstances were different, I'd be right behind her. You know that. If it was different, she'd be making the right choice."

"But?"

"But... _shab_, I don't know. The Republic's pulling out, and she disobeyed a direct order, so she won't have any support or back up if things go wrong. The place is overrun by Trandoshans and other scum of the galaxy. We're about to pull out, and this is just one big potential hydrospanner to get jammed in the works. And if she gets trapped there, or can't find Sev... well Kad needs his mother."

They continued to watch as Besany helped the little boy stack the blocks in small towers of three and four. He seemed distracted though.

"Ma? Dada?"

"What about you?"

Jusik looked at Kal in momentary surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Skirata waved his hand in the air.

"The Force. You feelin' anything?"

Jusik closed his eyes, stretching his perception. He felt the wind overtake him. That was what he visualized the Force as, when he wasn't using it directly for some task or another. Gusts and flurries of wind against his skin. It was so much more than that, of course, but it was the only way it could be described. But in that strange other field, the air felt flat almost heavy. He opened his eyes again and shook his head.

"No. It feels like it has been for a while. The specifics are murky because everything seems ominous."

Kal snorted.

"Isn't that the truth."

**Arca Barracks, Coruscant, **

**0600 hours, four days after the Battle of Coruscant, 1088 days ABG**

Darman was strolling through the corridor that lead from the accommodation block when his comlink went off. Pulling it from his belt, he paused and stepped off to the side, by the wall, so he wouldn't block the hallway.

It was from Etain.

Holding his breath, he opened the message. It was written, no audio, and that disappointed him a little. He wanted to hear her voice again. The moment he read the message, though, he realized that the content more than made up for it.

_DAR'IKA, _I'M SORRY I'M SO FAR FROM YOU. _MHI SOLUS TOME, MHI SOLUS DAR'TOME, MHI ME'DINUI AN, MHI BA'JURI VERDE. _I LOVE YOU, DAR, I'LL BE BACK BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

"Fierfek," Dar swore out loud, but his entire face was stretched in a grin the size of Galactic City. "_Fierfek._"

His emotions temporarily overcame him in the sweetest vertigo. His brain was swamped with images of what would come next. Of Etain with Kad back on Mandalore, in the home he had never seen. Of being able to go to sleep at night and lay in bed with her, no secrecy needed. Maybe, eventually, there would even be another baby in her arms, a brother or sister for _Kad'ika. _

Darman startled back to reality when he felt a firm grasp on his shoulder. He looked up guiltily, immediately wondering how he was going to hide the message. While he severely doubted Zey knew enough Mando'a to understand the vows, the snippets in Basic were enough to get Etain and himself in major trouble.

"You okay?"

Darman then realized it was only Ordo. The Null was eyeing him strangely, as if attempting to figure out what had distracted him this time. There was no one else in the hallway, for which Darman was thanking the Force, the _Manda_, the Balance, the Naboo Goddess of Safety, whatever the hell it was up there that controlled these things.

"I'm-" Darman cut himself short, in case the walls had eyes and ears. Instead he showed the datapad briefly to Ordo, who scanned it and gave a rare smile.

"Ah. That's what it is." The other man's brow creased then, and the smile inverted to a frown, "Have you heard where she is right now, though? She's still on Kashyyyk."

Darman shook his head, his happiness punctured a little by anxiety. "Why? I thought Yoda pulled everyone out. Delta's been reassigned, haven't they? So she's alone on Kashyyyk. Why didn't she leave?"

Ordo took a deep breath, as if he was heading into enemy territory.

"Not alone, exactly. She has Enacca with her. The point is, Delta left Sev in the jungle, and Etain disobeyed orders to stay behind and look for him. _Buir_'s furious, but she says she can't leave a man behind. Or she did. Comms are down again."

Darman didn't have a rational reason to disapprove of Etain's choice. In fact, she was doing what a good soldier should do for a comrade. He knew it It didn't make him any less worried though.

"I can give you a full status report on things ... _back_ _home _later, but be ready. Any time now." Ordo told him, and then seeing the worry on Darman's face, "She'll be fine. And you'll be late. Go keep Zey quiet."

Darman nodded, still a little disoriented, and clasped Ordo's arm Mandalorian-style before parting ways. When he made it to the briefing room, Maze was already present with Aquila, Manka, and Yayax squads. Darman sat with the rest of Omega, ignoring Niner's questioning looks. His brothers could tell something was up.

As Maze lectured Cov on the importance of maintaining civil order, Atin nudged Dar gently in the ribs. After making sure the ARC was looking the other way, the scarred commando continued to mouth, "_Is everything alright?"_

Discreetly, Dar nodded to the comm and then signaled, "_In a minute."_

"Privates, are you listening?"

"Yes sir!" Atin and Darman said together.

Maze studied them for a moment, then turned to Niner. Cracking his knuckles and giving the Sargent a _why-can't-you-keep-your-squad-under-control _look, he said, "Fill them in on your way out. The cop ships are picking up from the parade ground. Dismissed."

The commandos rose almost as one. Corr seemed very cheerful.

"Atin, you and me?"

"Fine."

"Come on then, _Dar'ika_," Niner said, "Corr, don't you lead our old married buddy astray. I know what you're like."

Darman wanted desperately to reply to that, but Cov brushed past them before he could get a word in edgewise.

"Have you heard about Sev? MIA. Delta pulled out of Kashyyyk with out him. Apparently General Tur-Mukan's still looking for him though. Pitched a fit and refused to leave until he was accounted for."

Suddenly Darman could feel everyone's eyes on him. While only Omega knew the extent of his relationship with Etain, that he was fond of her had become common knowledge in the barracks. There was an awkward moment or two before he simply shrugged in acknowledgment.

"That's General Tur-Mukan."

Niner moved in quickly. "Battle's still ongoing at least, so at least she can pull some troopers for back up. The Wookiees will help, too. She'll find Sev. Just as stubborn as a nek dog, that one."

"She shouldn't have to." Cov seemed angry. Bralor's squads were like that. "Delta makes me sick. They should have stayed to look for their brother, instead of letting someone else do it. Why didn't they go back for him? If a Jedi's defying Yoda, then they damn well could have too. _I'd _have gone back. All of us, or none of us."

He stalked off. Corr waited until Omega was sure they were alone before he asked the inevitable.

"Did you know?"

"Ordo told be just before I walked in."

"You worried?"

Dar didn't answer because as much as he loved his brother, they all knew the question was ridiculous. He was always worried about her. It might not have been smart, but it was true. Instead he broke the news.

"We're married now. I got her half of the vows right before I ran into Ordo."

Atin clapped him on the back supportively.

"Congratulations, _vod'ika_."

Corr rolled his eyes.

"Kept men," he mumbled again, earning him glares from both Atin and Darman.

"Don't worry," Niner said again, "Enacca will watch her back. Now hurry up an watch mine. Aquila and Manka will be wondering what happened to us."

**Shadow Lands, Kashyyyk**

**2000 hours **

Etain could hear the distant sound of blaster fire. She would recognize it anywhere. After three years of fighting beside troopers and commandos, she would never forget the sound of a Deecee.

A fierce roar came from Enacca, and they hurried forward, moving as fast as they could without tripping over the sprawling growth. She heard Sev before she saw him, although his yelling was to hard for her to clearly make out.

The sniper's helmet was missing, his face a mass of cuts bruises. Smeared across his armor was mud and grass and blood that wasn't possibly all his. As he ran a Geonosian through with his vibroknife, bug guts splattered over his armor.

Etain activated both of her sabers and the humming drew attention from Sev's assailants long enough for him to cut another down. Why wasn't he using his rifle?

Pushing the though aside, she moved in. Instead of relying on traditional lightsaber techniques, she felt herself slipping into a strange mixture of Niman, Mandalorian fencing, and moves from her training with Darman. It was unpredictable enough to through the Trannies off-balance.

"Good to see you, Sev. We've been trying to hunt you down since yesterday."

Despite all that had and was happening, Sev managed a snort.

"You're not the only one, General."

_

* * *

_

_TBC_

A/n: At this point I really can't say if that was a sucky chapter or a reasonable one. I suppose I sound whiny or something (I often do in my closing author notes) but by the time I finish a section of just about anything I'm so sick of my own writing that I don't want to look at a keyboard for the next month. Then I come back a week later, at the cycle starts over. As you could probably tell, this was pretty close to the original with some alterations to fit the plot. Next time I'll be going out on a lot farther a limb. Stick with me. The interesting stuff is coming.


	3. Defying Orders Pt 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Republic Commando or any aspect of Star Wars. If I owned Republic Commando, Etain's survival would be canon. If I owned Star Wars, Revan would be female, Natasi Daala would get a handy smack upside the head, and that old schutta Palpatine would be taking a vacation down a nice, deep volcano on Mustafar. Are you convinced yet?

Parts of the storyline and plot are taken from Republic Commando: Order 66 and Revenge of the Sith, and the rest is my spin on how things should have gone. I knocked some times from the book around to make things flow, as well.

The Mirialan and Pantoran Padawans (who have yet to be named), however, are (c) Rev'ika.

* * *

"_But she wouldn't... they wouldn't, would they? We fought together, dammit! She saved my life!"_

- Clone Commando 6246 when ordered to kill his General.

**Shadow Lands, Kashyyyk**

**2055 hours **

Sev's tale was a rough one. Etain had expected it to be, but that didn't make her feel for him any less.

It was strange, really. Etain had often felt sorry for Sev, for all clones in fact, not that it really got her anywhere or that they wanted her pity. But there was something disconcerting about this entire scene. The commando she knew seemed to have vacated his own body.

Not that Sev wasn't still intimidating. Nothing could be father from the truth. His armor had been cleaned off a little, and bacta from Etain's medpack was applied to a few of his cuts so that they had at lest stopped bleeding. The wounds emphasized the hard lines of his face, the steel glint in his eye.

Even rugged and patched up, he still looked proud. Sev looked like a _survivor_, which was what he was. It would take a braver woman than Etain to go against him.

All of that hardness seemed incongruous with the man, though, as Sev kept his body drawn close in, never took a hand from his Deece, and looked around like a small, disbelieving child. The sense of _lost _she was feeling from him was overpowering. If she had not known it before herself, she would have cringed back.

And so Etain pitied him, really. Mourned silently with him, unknown to him, for the sudden destruction of his faith. Because Sev had possessed faith, too, even if he didn't wear it on his sleeve. He wouldn't have gotten back up every day if he didn't. His faith was in his brothers, and now it had been shattered.

Every so often when he thought she couldn't see, Sev would let his durasteel mask slip momentarily away. He would stretch out his neck, would search and search and search for those who should be there and were not. But his sniper's eyes never spotted his brothers. Delta was not on Kashyyyk.

Etain didn't fully understand his ordeal; she couldn't. Her family, her _aliit_ would never abandon her, not even if she wanted them to. Dar would always be there to offer her a hand up and help her stagger through the battle, Kal would always find her a way to safety, Jusik would be there to help carry the burden of the Force when she felt the weight of it would drown her.

Etain would never be alone again. Even with her presence, Sev was. They were not friends, but inwardly Etain cried for him.

The last time she had been left, it had been on the dizzyingly alien landscape of Qiilura, and she had felt very, very lost. But her Master had not chosen to leave her. She had still had more than Sev.

Etain didn't want to judge the rest of Delta. She couldn't, because she didn't know what they had gone through in their decision. She knew that the Sev-sized space on their transport had to be swallowing them like the Maw. But still she wondered how they could have gone through with it at all.

Sev's story was a rough one, but it was simple enough to follow.

Sometimes there weren't elaborate explanations for an event, and this was one of those times. Etain easily understood as he told it to her. Sev had been ambushed by a mixture of Trandoshans and Seppie forces. Even a commando could only take on so many people at once. He had been stranded, and so attempted to contact his brothers for aid. Instead, they had left him. And he heard it all via comlink.

With no support in sight, Sev's options had been severely limited. He could stay and try to fight them off, but he was already running low on ammo and had several new scorch marks doting his protesting armor. Even Katarn-class armor could only handle so much.

A second choice had been to attempt to raise another comm signal and contact a nearby Wookiee or another clone. His chances of success were limited, and there was every possibility that he could be killed before he had even tried.

So he had gone with plan C. He had run. Even Sev had no problem with that, not when it could save his skin. He had hoped to reach a hiding place and wait out the Seps until he could make it to a landing pad an hijack a ship, be it a Wookiee, Republic or Separatist vessel. Shooting enemies as he ran, he hadn't cared too much.

Unfortunately, he had failed. And utterly new experience for him: he had failed. Captured by the persistent Trandoshans, who had numbers and brawn against him if not brain, Sev had faked unconsciousness and was handed over to mixed guard group of Geonosians and Trannies, who removed his helmet and retrieved his Deece. He didn't know why they hadn't killed him. Hadn't wanted to know.

Etain had multiple ideas as to why, most of them involving Separatist scientists, but Sev hadn't wanted to hear her theories.

Nobody had ever said that the bugs and lizards were bright. While dragging him away to the depths of the Shadowlands the two species had fought almost constantly. Their enmity by be explained by the fact that from an evolutionary viewpoint, the Geonosians were lunch. Whatever it was, it had served the commando well.

A fight had broken out between the leaders of the two groups, and had been loud and violent enough to distract Sev's guards. A second was all it took for a vibroblade through the gut and a snatching of a rifle.

That, of course had alerted the others of the motley crew, who had abandoned their quarrel and united against him .But the numbers were smaller this time, and Sev was determined he wouldn't go down with out a fight. Then Etain and Enacca had shown up, and everything had gotten a whole lot better. A simple enough story, easy to follow.

Except for the part where Sev lost faith in his brothers, and so lost himself. Etain had a few choice words for Yoda, even if she'd never dare utter them.

Now they were resting. They had made good process at first, but Sev's injuries troubled him more than he would admit, and they were all worn from fighting with out rest for what seemed like ages.

Enacca had chosen a place of suitable shelter, a Wookiee being considerably better at it than any human. Etain looked around the silent gathering wearily. Ration bars in hand- multiple for Enacca- they sat and observed each other but said nothing. Maybe they were all trying to conserve their strength. Maybe they all knew that nothing could be said.

Etain watched Sev the way she would watch _Kad'ika _after he had fallen while toddling. The commando might search for his squad, but he never looked at her, never met her eyes. She could tell he was just as ashamed as he was angry. He could not confront the woman who had done his brothers' job.

Enacca let out a muffled woof about needing to get moving soon. Night had fallen on Kashyyyk, and the predators were out. The Wookiee rose and clambered slowly through the vines. Etain wondered if she was being diplomatic as well as practical.

Finally Etain screwed up the courage to speak. She was his commanding officer It was her job, whether she felt it was one she could handle or not.

"Sev?"

"Yes General?"

She purposely paused long enough that he could not help but look up. Then she titled her head to the side and spoke softly in Mandalorian, not as a Jedi but as one soldier to another.

"_K'oyaci, ner vod."_

Sev started and his face twisted up. Etain thought she must have inadvertently angered him, and tensed. Slowly, though, his features eased into an inscrutable expression that was his alone. Etain could not read him, and did not try to in the Force.

"I'm going to try to get the comms up and running one last time before we bang out, ma'am."

She knew it was the most she was going to get from him, and nodded. Then she searched mentally for her own piece of comfort, as she headed to check on Enacca.

"_Mhi solus tome, Dar'ika,_" she mouthed silently, hoping the words would give her strength, "_Mhi solus dar'tome_..."

For a while after she left, Sev did nothing but fiddle with their comlinks, hoping one would work, his mind occasionally straying elsewhere until a sharp pain caused him to reel it back in. Soon he started getting a charge, then the hint of a link, and then static. Just as he put the finishing touches on it, a transmission made its way through.

"From the Chancellor's Office...?"

***

**Hemli Tower Boulevard, Galactic City, 2105 hours,**

**1,089 days ABG**

"You okay?"

Darman barely hear the CSF officer's question. He could feel Niner looking at him, but his lips were weighted; they wouldn't move. His mind was racing almost as fast as his heart, as he tried to convince himself that he hadn't just heard the order he had.

Order 66.

It couldn't be. Unless he was wrong, and that was the Order for shutting down the banks or for reducing some turncoat allies to slag-

But it was. Except that it wasn't a planet they had been ordered to move against. And there was no Orders for capture, only death. _Be'jetii kyr'am._ The death of the Jedi.

No, no, no. It couldn't be. He wouldn't let it be.

_Etain..._

He knew there was nothing he could do.

"Change of tasking," Niner said for him, "We've just had an emergency comm. Can you set us down somewhere? We need to call in our own unit."

Liar. Both commandos knew what they should be doing. What was required of them was to kill the Jedi. If a Jedi was serving with them, their duty was eliminate them immediately. If not, they were to hunt down any lightsaber-wielders in their path. There was never any consideration of capture, because it was Jedi they were dealing with. Once upon a time, Darman would have agreed with the policy.

_Etain, _Et'ika_, are you alright? _

Now he didn't.

Dar didn't listen as the CSF officer and the pilot talked with Niner. Nothing they could sat mattered, unless they could tell him how to rescue his girl. Rescue his _wife. _His beautiful Etain, the mother of his child, his green-eyed Jedi turned soldier.

"Dar, don't worry," Niner switched to their private link, and tried in vain to reassure his brother, "Don't think about it. We'll get Etain out."

Etain was trapped on Kashyyyk, the only Jedi left other than Yoda who probably didn't know she was on the planet. Who probably didn't even know she existed. On the other hand, the jungle would be filled with _vod'e _fighting Separatists, and if they found her, she was dead. If she had pulled troopers from their duties to help her find Sev, Dar doubted any of them would have trouble shooting her in the back. Had she found Sev even ...well...

Vau had taught his men to _obey_. There was no way for Darman to know if Sev would spare Etain Etain might have saved Sev's life by now, but when you ingrained something as deep as Vau did...

There was a chance of, course, that he would let her go. But the cold, hard truth was that Darman had no way of even knowing if his wife was already dead.

Darman opened a secure link to Skirata. Kal'buir responded quickly; Dar guessed he had been waiting for this call.

"Dar?"

"Sarge, what are we going to do? Have you heard about the order? She's on Kashyyyk, she won't know-"

"Yes, I heard, son. Darman, you can't worry. It won't do either of you any good. You an Niner just head home, and we'll find a way to take care of Etain. Don't worry, Enacca's with her, and the furball won't let anything happen. We've got it covered, don't you worry."

Skirata would have said that if the Galaxy was ending. He thought he could take care of everything and everybody.

_Etain..._

Niner and the CSF officers continued talking, but Darman noticed nothing until the words "Jedi bigwigs". A Jedi coup?

"Violence?" he asked, wondering why he wasn't more surprised.

"At least one Jedi Master dead..." the officer said, and Dar tuned out again.

So the big guys had gotten themselves into a mess, and dragged the entire Order down with them, including his Etain. Darman didn't, couldn't believe that they were all in on it. He knew now that there were plenty of little people in the Jedi Order, like Bardan and Etain, who didn't get a vote in what the council did. They probably wouldn't even know what was going on. The death sentence applied to them, but they had done nothing to earn it. It was unfair.

It was also the kind of thing that happened to clones every day.

At Niner's signal, they exited the CSF patrol ship. Niner continued to try to ease his brother, still with no success. They commandeered a speeder, and Dar felt the unmistakable urge to search for his wife, even though his brain told him that she was off-planet, that all he could do was wait.

Orders were orders, and Darman had been taught it just as much as Sev. They kept you and your brothers alive when the big picture was out of your grasp. Kept you from stumbling into the target zone of another squad you didn't know was deployed, even when the command to take _this _path seemed stupid. Ensured that you were in a position that the fight would end up being worth something in the end.

Darman had no trouble taking orders. He just wasn't ready to kill his wife. He hadn't signed up for that. Hadn't signed up at all, actually.

Dar's comm clicked, and he held his breath, hoping, wishing, praying, but it wasn't Etain.

"_Su'cuy_, _vod'ike_. I'm coming up from the barracks now. Prepare to regroup, I'll meet you. It'll be easier to bang out all at once if we don't have to wait to get everyone together at the RV point," said Ordo, "Don't do anything stupid before I get there. That means you, Darman."

They met their Null brother at the intersection of Velsing Avenue and Darkling Way, and exited the speeder. There was no way to cram Ordo in. The vehicle was designed for two average-sized humanoids, not three solid men in bulky armor. They would have to walk from here.

"Ordo..." Darman said as they made their way through the crowds. Even these frightened masses veered away when they saw three weapon-carrying clones heading their way, "Do you know, has there been..."

Ordo cut him off.

"There's not much point in asking. The moment_ Kal'buir _gets news, you'll know Darman. Let it rest before you get yourself killed."

Dar lapsed into pained silence. How in the Force could he let it go? How could he relinquish the images that filled his head, the fierce desire to preserve their source? He tried; with every single focusing technique Kal had ever taught him he tried. Thoughts like these made for a dead clone, maybe more than one, but he had known that from the beginning and couldn't shut them off now.

After a few minutes Ordo spoke up again, belatedly realizing how harsh he had sounded.

"I just want to keep you alive, _ner vod_. You're no use to any of us dead, including Etain."

Dar knew it. The Null might have been scary as hell, but he was devoted to protecting his brothers.

They were coming up on a deserted side lane that would take them on a discreet route to the holotheater, when Darman spotted them. The idiots hadn't even bothered to change out of their robes. _Shab, _they were young. The two Jedi- two _Padawans_, a Pantoran female of maybe eight and a male Mirialan who couldn't have been more than ten. Niner seemed to slow some.

"Darman, Ordo..."

"I see them, Sarge."

The two knew Jedi they had been spotted. Not that the pair had been doing a very good job of hiding, but they were just kids and didn't have GAR training to fall back on. The pair didn't run, didn't scream. They seemed to know that if the clones decided it, their lives were over, no matter what was done, and simply looked up at the approaching men with wide eyes. What refuge or aid could they find on this deserted street?

So curious, really. Only a few years ago, _shab_, a few _days_ ago, that could have been Darman. The mighty fell hard and the galaxy was a shifting place. But the kids weren't mighty. They were just young.

"You're not safe in those robes," Darman said, surprising himself "You should get out of sight. Run." Of course, how could they ever really be safe? And where was there to run? Beside him, Niner was keeping a cautious eye out for other clones. He could tell Ordo was impatient, annoyed by this delay.

"Why do you care? " the Mirialan asked in a trembling voice, but stood his ground, stepping in front of the Pantoran as if to shield her. He had taken a lightsaber from somewhere in his cloak, and was holding it, deactivated in front of him. It was too large for his small green hands, which lead Darman to believe it was someone else's. Maybe his Master's.

The Pantoran spoke up, her voice strong, even though she was cowering behind the older Padawan. Even from here, Darman could see that her golden eyes were teary and bloodshot against her turquoise skin.

"Why are you killing us? What did we do wrong?"

_What did we do wrong? _As if there was some reason why they had to die, as if there was a reason for this war, for children who paid for their elders' mistakes and were killed for genetic coding they couldn't control. All the illumination of Coruscant, the city of lights, could not fill the darkness of that question.

"Put the weapon down, kid," Niner said, but the Mirialan didn't waver. He didn't activate the lightsaber, or put it away. Like marble he stood, ready to protect the other Padawan.

Ordo took a sharp breath, like he had been gut-punched, and then took a step forward. Orders were to kill the Jedi, but Dar had no idea what his brother was about to do.

***

**Shadow Lands, Kashyyyk**

**2118 hours**

Etain tried to make sense of Enacca's frantic howling. Etain herself was growing more and more agitated by the second, and it wasn't the battle, although that was dangerously distracting. Something was wrong. The Force sent prickles crawling across her skin like razor-footed insects. Something was _wrong_.

"Slow down!" she protested, "I can't understand what you're saying."

The Wookiee waved both her hairy arms, yowling even louder as she pointed at the comm unit, which had momentarily been working.

"The Chancellor... what? I don't get it."

Enacca snarled something as if Etain was an idiot who was getting perilously close to using up the last of her patience.

"You say he what? Order... Order..."

Etain froze, hearing the sound of commando boots just as she managed to figure out what Enacca had been trying to tell her. It was followed by the sound of a Deece being flipped off of safety. Enacca roared.

"Order 66," said Sev, "Kill all Jedi."

She turned slowly around to face the member of Delta she had saved. His rifle was pointed straight at her. No one moved.

Would Sev follow orders, the way his brothers had?

"What now?" Etain asked wearily, holding her hand just above her lightsaber and praying. Her mind flashed back on everything that had lead up to this point, then to Dar and Kad and her _aliit. _She could feel the other Jedi dying. It ripped at her very being, a ferocious pain in her chest like she too had been shot.

Force in its mercy, no.

Sev stared at her for the longest time, at her thin face screwed up in agony and fear. Then he slowly lowered his blaster.

"The order was for all GAR soldiers to exterminate their Jedi Commanders, General. But what ever you are you're not Jedi, and I'm not GAR. Not anymore. Besides, you proved your loyalties."

Etain was surprised, but relieved. Sev seemed to be still reeling from his decision though. Etain guessed that it was hard for him.

"We had better get away from here."

* * *

**A/N:** Had some trouble writing Sev in character there. If someone could tell me how to make it better, I'll go back and fix it. Sorry it took me so long to get up.

**Edit (6-7-09) : **Fixed some formatting and spelling/grammer issues as well as some typos.


	4. Waiting

**A/N: **Star Wars belongs to George Lucas, Republic Commando was written by Karen Traviss, only Ayo, Reidel, and Jahaal are (c) Rev'ika.

* * *

"_Do I wonder about it? Hell no. I've bled for these guys, lost a limb for them, watched my brothers die because of their stupid mistakes. I don't give a damn about the Republic and its orders anymore, but the Jedi will not slip through my fingertips. These guys want to screw us over and then betray us? Fine. I'll _show_ them _suffering_."_

CT 60/563 to one of his brothers, discussing Order 66 and the Jedi

**Onboard the **_Veracious_,** 1090 days ABG**

Scorch had thought he knew miserable. Kamino had been plenty of miserable.

The reek of blood in the Killing House as you crept past the body with a face exactly like yours, on a body that was exactly like yours, with your weapon and armor, and the only difference being that that body was _dead-_

Thrashings that left you sore enough you could barely stand for a week, much less fight, followed by hours in the horror of interrogation resistance training-

Learning the hard way how to treat your demolitions, and if you were lucky the hard way being singing your eyebrows off and covering your arms in burns, the way he had-

Scorch had always thought Kamino had pretty well capped the suffering department. Then he had entered the war, and allowed it to take the top of the chart. What could be worse than slavery spent having your guts ripped out for an ungrateful bunch of sniveling civvies? Civvies who didn't give a damn if death was your constant companion so long as their holodramas weren't interrupted?

Now Scorch knew better.

So did Fixer and Boss, he bet, but Scorch wouldn't look them in the eye. While he had been angry at his brothers before and fought with them plenty of times, the rage was new. It was awful, smoldering in his chest as it gnawed at him like a kath hound on a nerf stake, tearing through each separate sinew of his heart.

The only thing he had to compare it to was the time he had nearly lost it after the attack on the Haurgab base, when Etain had resorted to using the Force to calm him. Scorch wondered how he could feel that kind of rage at his own brothers. That wasn't right, could never be right. His brothers were all he had. Boss and Fixer were-

No, he couldn't think that. Sev was coming back. Sev could not be dead.

The horrible, awful truth was that his rage really was directed at Fixer and Boss. Scorch hadn't wanted to leave Kashyyyk, hadn't wanted to leave Sev. But Fixer had yielded first, done things by the rules instead of what was right. Done it by the _shabla_ orders. Scorch hated him for it.

You weren't supposed to hate your brother. That wasn't right either.

And then Boss. Boss had given in. Scorch had struggled and fought the decision, but he hadn't had the strength to go up against Boss. Boss with his _shabla _reasoning and save-who-you-can attitude. How could Scorch have fought that awful, demanding authority that Boss had held over him since childhood?

They had made him leave Sev, and Scorch couldn't forgive them for it.

Or had they? Maybe it wasn't really Boss and Fixer he was angry at. Scorch was capable of making his own decisions, after all. He had a choice. He could have disobeyed them all. He could have saved Sev.

So who should his rage really be directed at? Himself. Was he just using his brothers for deflection then, to keep the blame off of himself? Stirring hatred towards them that he had no right to feel?

Scorch wanted to shut down at that possibility, because the guilt was already too much to bear, was already killing him. No, not killing him. Death would be merciful.

He wanted it to be his fault, so he couldn't hate his brothers, wanted it to be theirs so he could live with himself, wanted it to be the Jedi's so that Delta could survive this, but Delta had the option to resist.

It didn't make _sense_. Why did Sev, no, why did Delta have to be at that battle at all? Why did they have to fight this war, which had never been theirs except to die in? His thoughts whipped through his head in an unsynchronized flurry.

_Someone kill me. Please, take the blaster, put it to my head, take me out swiftly. I can't live with this! Sev, buddy, just hang in there. I know we abandoned you, I know I did, but hold on. Why? Why did I do it, why did they, why were we there?_

Scorch screwed up his eyes, lying flat across the ship's bunk he had been assigned. His fingertips clenched against the rim of his helmet, which lay discarded by his leg. The room was silent except for the slight sound of his gloves against the metal. Even the commandos' breathing was too faint to make out.

He kept expecting, strangely, to hear someone call out Endex. Yes, Vau needed to call Endex. Then Sev would appear again from elsewhere in the simulated environment. Maybe he would be angry at them, or injured, or terrified he would get another thrashing from Vau, but he would be there. The squad would once again envelop him in their firm bond, impenetrable to outsiders as Vau's armor.

But when Scorch opened his eyes, again, he was simply staring into a florescent light that didn't have the good sense to go out so he could sleep. No one called for the end of the exercise, though if he truly strained he could make out the rattle of the cooling vents, the slight tap of Boss or Fixer's boot.

He looked over the side of his bunk, and of course, there was no familiar burst of red. Just Fixer, helmet on and arms crossed over his chest, and Boss, sitting with his head in his hands.

The feelings awoken by his childhood reminisces grew. Already red-eyed, he tried to stifle the urges they brought. The longing. He failed and his chest heaved slightly.

No tear made its way down Scorch's cheek; he had run out. Yet a single rough sob broke the air. Fixer and Boss both looked up at the sound, startled. The both watched him cautiously for a minute or so. Then, just as Boss seemed about to say something, the door opened.

All three commandos spun to face the intruder, but they didn't have the same unified, untouchable air.

Slowly another clone made his way into the room as if it were a minefield. Scorch recognized him from earlier, from the mess hall. Jahaal, he had introduced himself as. That didn't make him any more welcome, and in Delta's silence the interloper seemed to realize that.

Jahaal held up both hands in a pacifying gesture, then slowly took something from his belt.

"_Udesii, vode_," he said, "Calm down. I don't mean to intrude, but I thought you might need to see this."

Jahaal tossed what looked like a datachip to Boss, and the Sergeant held it between two fingers for a moment, looking it over, examining the title.

"A half-hour old report on Jedi. Why do we care?" Boss's voice was sharper than normal.

"Trust me, you do. I would have gotten it to you sooner, but I only just checked it myself. And you probably want to read it with me gone."

"You weren't invited," replied Fixer, but Jahaal took it with good grace. The pity on his face as he left made Scorch want to slam him into the bulkhead.

Boss slipped the chip into his reader with out a sound. Scorch waited for several moments, expecting some small grunt or noise of acknowledgment from his brother, but not much more. Of what importance were Jedi at a time like this?

But instead something else passed from Boss's lips: the name none of them had uttered since boarding the larty back on Kashyyyk.

"Sev..."

A fresh pain like a stab wound filled Scorch's stomach, but he sat up straight. He had to know. Fixer also tensed, looking ready to spring or perhaps unravel. Boss passed Scorch the chip. Scorch scanned the report, looking for any sign of his brother. Somewhere near the bottom he found it.

"...REMAINS AT LARGE IN THE KASHYYYK SYSTEM. A SECOND JEDI HAS ALSO BEEN SPOTTED IN THE VICINITY, VIA REMOTE. THE JEDI IS A FEMALE HUMAN IN HER TWENTIES, IDENTIFIED AS GENERAL ETAIN TUR-MUKAN. TUR-MUKAN WAS LAST SEEN STEALING REPUBLIC TRANSPORT AND HAS MOST LIKELY FLED THE SYSTEM. SHE IS CONSIDERED LOW-THREAT AND SHOULD BE APPREHENDED BY ANY REPUBLIC FORCES WHO COME INTO CONTACT WITH HER. HOWEVER SHE IS ACCOMPANIED BY A WOOKIEE AND A CLONE COMMANDO-"

Here Scorch paused, breathed in sharply as Boss had done, then kept reading.

"- IDENTIFIED AS MISSING DELTA SQUAD MEMBER RC-1207. ALL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT 1207 HAVE PROVED FUTILE. HOWEVER IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED HE RECIEVED ORDERS. AS HE CONTINUES TO AID THE JEDI, HE IS TO BE CONSIDERED ROGUE AND AN ENEMY OF THE REPUBLIC. USE ALL FORCE NESSECARY IN HIS SUBDUCTION."

The rest of the report was useless information about a Commander Islara on Alaris Prime, the last mention of the Kashyyyk system, before moving on to other Mid Rim systems. He didn't bother to read the rest, but instead silently passed the chip to Fixer.

All force necessary. Scorch knew what that meant. They all did. A true panic started squirming in his gut.

"_Shab," _said Boss as Fixer finished reading, and then said it again with a trembling voice "_Shab_. They're going to kill him."

Scorch's fists clenched again, and he bit down hard, unable to believe what he had read.

Sev was the only one of them to disobey orders, fighting alongside a Jedi he hardly knew, when Delta hadn't bothered to act to save him. It tore at Scorch, cut him into tiny pieces with a dulled blade. Etain had disobeyed her superiors to help him, and now he had done the same, but thanks to Delta, thanks to Scorch, Sev was gonna die.

He recoiled from the thought, from the weight of it, until something else struck him. Suddenly he knew what to do. It wouldn't and couldn't make up for leaving Sev on Kashyyyk, but any plan at all was better than none. Scorch needed a battle plan, because he had to treat this just like any other engagement. He didn't know how he'd get through it otherwise.

Scorch swung his legs over the side of the bunk and jumped down, aware of Fixer and Boss's agonized eyes watching his every motion. He pulled out his comm, fiddled with it some, and quickly realized it was useless.

It clicked in place. They were switching over the comlink system, making it anti-Jedi, locking out deserters and enemies who might have the old codes. You could still get a message through, but only if you had the clearance. Lowly clones like him didn't, so long as they weren't still in theater. Once they had been retrieved the clones didn't have use for them anyway. Except for Scorch.

Wordlessly he headed for the door. Boss stood, stepped in the way.

"Where are you going, soldier?"

Scorch halted only for a few seconds.

"To start doing my job, Three Eight."

He brushed past his sergeant, knowing his brothers would follow. The hallways seemed emptier than normal, and the troopers they passed were weary and mute. No one stopped them as Scorch crossed the main deck and hit the button for the lift.

Once inside he hit the button for the communications deck, only to be met by a flashing "access denied" signal. It delayed him only for as long as it took him to trigger the emergency override. The _shabuire _were still slow, still careless. Good. It made his job easier.

"Communications is off limits," warned Fixer anxiously as the lift made its way up, "If we get caught and asked for clearance, we're fried."

"I know," Scorch told him, slipping on his helmet, then headed onto the deck. It was, strangely, nearly deserted. The transfer must have been remotely done. Silently he crept along, spotting an empty terminal on the other side of the room. The civilian officers didn't even look up, no doubt absorbed in their work and assuming anyone who made it here had the proper codes. The one other clone, however, spotted them right away.

Scorch tensed for a moment, not doubting the other clone knew they weren't supposed to be here. But by some dumb luck- or maybe, judging by the look on the other's face, some knowledge of who they were or the sense of purpose that came from them- the clone tech said nothing.

Scorch nodded at him and walked over to the terminal, comlink still in hand.

"Fixer, I need you to slice this," he said via the squad's private link, "get me the codes for a transmission out, will you?"

This time there was no protest about rules or regs. Fixer did as asked, and Boss didn't even protest the fact that it was now Scorch giving orders. It was past that now. There were no jokes about the situation for Scorch to make, no reason for Fixer to stick to the rules, no applicable rules at all for Boss to lead by. It was a new, impossible situation, and nothing was the same for them to cling to.

Fixer looked up.

"Got it."

"Who are you sending a message to?" Boss asked as Scorch utilized the information, "They said they couldn't contact him."

"I'm not sending a message to Sev."

It pained him. He wanted to reach out to his brother, to assure Sev he wasn't forgotten, that they felt awful for what they had done, to beg for forgiveness. But even if Scorch did, it wouldn't help the situation any. It might even worsen it, distracting Sev and maybe even getting him killed. No, he had to send for help. He turned to the only place he could think of.

"Who then?"

"Skirata. He won't turn away, not while Etain's involved. And even if she wasn't, he'd still do something, the old _chakaar._ He's like that. He wants to save everybody."

Boss slowly nodded, looking over his brother's shoulder as Scorch sent the message off. It wouldn't go through until they jumped out of hyperspace, but it was there waiting in the virtual world, and it was all they could do.

It was Fixer who lead the way out after it was sent, acting eager to leave and not meeting his brothers' eyes. He was obviously struggling with himself, with the instinct to obey that Vau had beaten into him and the fierce longing for their missing squad mate. It poured from his every motion, and if there had been a Jedi nearby it would have been a red flag.

Scorch paused for just a moment, and looked back to the clone technician. He saluted in a silent thank you. The tech nodded at him, mouthed something. A name. _Jahaal_. Then Boss was shoving him towards the door so they wouldn't get caught.

The guilt hadn't eased any, but Scorch hadn't expected it to. They had only done what they should have in the first place, and a Jedi was still down there doing their job. Things still weren't good, not by a long shot. He just prayed Skirata acted soon, before it was too late.

None of the civvies ever looked up.

*

**Kyrimorut, Mandalore, 1,090 days ABG**

Darman watched the two Padawans as the stood huddled together, looking around them with a fear that had yet to subside. The Pantoran- _Ayo, _he corrected himself- still almost clung to the Mirialan- _Reidel- _and Reidel was still acting the defensive guardian.

Dar was still going over what had happened, trying to understand Ordo's reasoning. The Null was normally hard, normally cared only for his brothers and father and for the few non-clones who had joined their ranks. These children though, seemed to have gotten to him.

After Niner had told the Mir- had told Reidel to put up the lightsaber and the child refused, still defending Ayo, Ordo's face had grown distant, even pained for a moment. It had worried Darman, who had no idea what was going on in side the Null's head. He hadn't expected Ordo to walk forward and pry the saber carefully from Reidel's hands. Hadn't expected Ordo to take the kid's hand and then take Ayo's as well. The children had panicked, trying to escape his firm grip. Ayo had screamed that she didn't want to die.

But Ordo, still seeming lost somewhere in a world Darman knew nothing about, had merely waited for their thrashing to stop. He had that anxious expression on his face, the one that meant he wanted desperately to do something right but wasn't sure he knew how.

"_It's okay,_" he had said, "_No one's going to hurt you. We're going to take you somewhere out of firing range. You're safe, I _promise _you."_

Niner and Darman had been stunned. But Ordo had turned to them, him voice all business now.

"_Our movement will be more limited now. We should head to the RV point immediately; no point in sticking around. We'll have to stick to the back roads in order to lower our visibility. _Kal'buir _will be irritated the delay."_

Padawans and commandos alike had stared at him with the same disbelief, but before they knew it, they were at the _Aay'han _and the look on Kal's face at the sight of the death-marked children and the rogue clone had silenced any questions Darman had. It would do no good to pry.

Not asking about it had meant not thinking about it. With out his mind otherwise occupied, he inevitably came back to Etain. Even now, as the dirt of Mandalore shifted beneath his boots for the first time, as he got his first look of the place that was now his home, it was with his wife that his thoughts lingered.

Again and again he replayed all the different scenarios. Darman saw Etain, scared, alone, pursued and attempting to outrun the clones she had worked so hard to help, clones with the same face and eyes as he had. He saw her badly injured and in pain, trying to hide somewhere in Kashyyyk's mass of leaves and branches, Enacca dead or wounded as well. And all too easily he pictured her-

No, Dar didn't want to think about that. But it crept into his mind anyway- Etain dead, a hole in her chest from Sev's Deece. And there was an image worse than that, even, of Etain on another planet, lying on hard permacrete, slashed from shoulder to spine. He could envision her bright green eyes still open, gone glassy and staring at a smoke-filled sky. It made his heart beat wildly; he had no idea where it came from, but it was the image that stayed in his mind.

Darman came back to reality, though, as he felt his son's fingers on his face. The baby was still awake; Darman held Kad on his hip in a proud paternal manner he remembered from his own childhood, from _Kal'buir_.

Besany came up from behind Ayo and Reidel, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and leading them inside out of the cold, with Ordo and Kal not far behind. Laseema turned to Dar gently but chidingly.

"You should head inside, too," the Twi'lek ordered, however softly, "I know you're worried, but you won't do any good with out a decent meal and a few hours sleep. Besides, the cold isn't good for _Kad'ika._ He isn't dressed for it."

Kad perked up slightly at the sound of his name, staring at his aunt.

"Ka?" he asked, attempting to repeat the word. His small face seemed anxious, worried, which was killing Darman almost as much as the thoughts of Etain. But the baby was Force-sensitive, like his mother, and he would be able to feel the uncertainty in the air. "Dada?"

"It's okay," Darman, soothed automatically "Dada's here, and Mama's on her way. Mama's coming home soon."

He did as Laseema had commanded and brought Kad inside the walls of the bastion, out of the cold, although the baby hadn't seemed to notice it.

"Ma!" Kad repeated decisively, patting his father's cheek with a tiny hand, then craned his neck to look over Darman's shoulder, searching but not finding what they both sought.

"Soon, _ad'ika_, soon."

Darman just hoped he wouldn't be made a liar. He'd pray to the Force, to the _Manda_, to the kriffing Naboo Goddess of Safety, or whoever was up there controlling these things. He would beg for his _riduur's _life, but he had no idea how you went about that sort of thing. None of them seemed to have noticed or helped him so far in his life anyway.

Rav Bralor caught sight of him, ushered him to a chair at a solid-looking dining table, the kind that could be used as an operating table if need be. He settled Kad on his lap, but looked up guiltily.

"I should help the others with the _Aay'han ._ It'll need to be cleaned up and pulled under cover for the night."

_For the night. _The words were awful, he wanted to rebel against them. He needed to leave now, to find her. But if he was realistic he knew he'd be going no where fast unless both he and the _Aay'han _got refueled.

Rav shook her head firmly.

"You and _Kad'ika _catch up. See if you can calm him some. We'll handle the ship, and then we can all get some grub."

Kad kept staring at him, eyes wide and dark as any of Darman's brothers. It made Dar uncomfortable, like his son was expecting something of him. He tried bouncing Kad up and down on his knee, but wasn't rewarded with one of the baby's usual grins. In fact, Dar felt like it was all he could do to keep the little boy from suddenly crying.

Etain had to be okay. She had to be. He didn't know how to do all this alone. He couldn't remember how to live with out her. He didn't want to learn.

"Mama's coming home," he said as much to himself as _Kad'ika_, repeating it like a mantra "She's coming home soon."

Eventually Kal came in to check on them. He stood awkwardly next to Darman, placing a hand on the commando's shoulder and smiling tiredly at his grandson.

"How are you holding up?"

"Ka!" said Kad again, but Darman just shook his head. Etain weeping, pleading; Etain fighting for her life against a group of clones, against _vode_; Etain breathing her last- It all haunted him.

"I'm sorry, son," said Kal, obviously just as pained, "but we can't go after her. Kashyyyk's far away; we couldn't get there in time to be of any use. Besides, she's probably off planet by now. For all we know she's on her way her now."

"I know _Buir_," Darman replied, "I'm just worried. _Et'ika_'s strong, and she knows how to fight, but the whole galaxy's against her now. Everyone except us. Those aren't good odds."

"They never are," said Kal, armor plates clinking as he crossed his arms, "But she's a fighter, like you said. My daughters are no weaklings, any more than my sons. Etain's a survivor. She'll be fine."

"She's my wife now, _Buir. _I married her over the comm. Right before the Order."

Kal seemed to take that in for a moment, gaze softening for a moment.

"Congratulations, _Dar'ika_. When she gets back we'll have proper celebrations, for you two and Fi and Parja all together."

Darman nodded. There wasn't much to say. Kal focused his attention on Kad, who was watching him with the same look he had given Darman. It seemed to unsettle the old Sergeant as well.

"_Ad'ika, _let's go show you Daddy his room, shall we?"

Kad babbled something that Darman supposed must have had meaning in baby talk, and squirmed to get off his father's lap. He was bright, even at such a young age, he seemed to understand what was wanted of him. Dar took both of his hands, allowing Kad to toddle in front of him, gaining a smile from Parja as she passed.

Kal took him to a room that seemed just like any other, a little off the main hub of the complex. It was furnished already, like it had been waiting for someone. A small holoprojector sat on the beside table, the only thing that stood out. Kal nodded to it.

"Etain's from when she was here," he explained, "Not sure if it's got any holos on it though; I didn't check. This was hers while she was pregnant with Kad. He was born in this room."

Darman looked around with increased interest, hoping to find some trace of her that he had missed lingering in the room. His son had been born here. It was a strange thought. Surely, some of the emotion of those first few hours of life, some proof of what his family , had to remain in the cool beige walls. He could imagine them soaking into the wood and synthplas like smoke.

He turned to ask Kal'buir about it. He needed to know about his child's first days, about the months Etain had carried him in her womb, about it all. He didn't want to let any part of his family slip away.

But Kal seemed suddenly absorbed by something else. Darman realized it was the man's comlink. He hadn't heard it go off.

"Read this, _ad'ika._"

Dar took it from him. A message from Scorch? How? Why?

"SEV, ETAIN ON RUN," it read "HAVE LEFT KASHYYYK IN STOLEN SHIP; HEADING OUT OF SYSTEM. WON'T GET FAR. HELP THEM. TELL SEV WE'RE SORRY."

Darman took a deep breath. She was alive then, and from the sound of it probably uninjured. He felt relieved, but it didn't last long. Scorch had said they wouldn't get far, and Darman could easily believe it. He needed to head out, to go find her wherever she had made planetfall. The message was a few hours old.

Kal immediately headed him off.

"Not yet, Dar. We're no use to her in this shape, and we have no idea where she is right now. First thing in the morning, son, I swear, we'll set out. Give everyone time to rest up and for Ordo to try and figure out where she's probably heading. First thing in the morning. Be ready"

Reluctantly, Darman nodded. He didn't want to. He _needed_ to head out now. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if they were too late. But there was no use in arguing with Kal'buir; the man was as stubborn as they came.

After he had left, Dar simply stretched across the large bed, staring at the ceiling. It was made for two, and even though Kad lay on his belly next to him playing with some sort of stuffed toy, it was still too empty.

His thoughts roamed to dark places again, to all the possible consequences of his delay. He didn't, couldn't be like Delta. He couldn't bare to loose Etain.

Kad sensed his fear and let out a small whimper. Realizing he was frightening his son, Darman rolled over some and pulled Kad close in a secure embrace. He held on to all he could. He didn't want Kad to feel as alone as he somehow did, even with his family just outside the door.

"It's okay. I'm here, son. I'm here."

*

**Kyrimorut, later that night**

Vau sat with Mird curled on his lap, pondering Skirata's message as he stared into the dying embers in the fireplace. He briefly considered stroking the fire up again, but it was too much trouble. He'd only have to put it out again when he left.

He was glad for news of Sev, whether he showed it or not. He had raised those boys, had trained them since they were just little kids, and he had taught them to survive. He had already lost [] of them, and that was too many. They were still boys, even if he wouldn't go so far to call them his, like Skirata did, and he could still picture them as children, wide-eyed and mesmerized by his every word.

And he would do his part to get them all to safety. Delta deserved at least that much from him. He only wondered why it had been Skirata they commed.

*

Ayo lay awake, despite how tired she was, despite the way her eyelids seemed to be weighted with durasteel. How could she sleep in a house full of enemies? They'd kill her before she woke up, she knew.

One of them had told her she'd be safe here, but she didn't believe him. She didn't trust any of them, not even the blond man who said he had been a Jedi before. He still wore there armor.

The only person she trusted was Reidel, and she had no idea where they had put him. It scared her, scared her bad. She was all alone, and now they could kill her like they had the leader of her youngling clan, like Reidel's master, Tyche Degana, and all the other Jedi who were still dying, their deaths ripping at the Force. The clones weren't their friends.

She clung to what Reidel had told her, promised her. She only had to wait until morning, and then he would make things all better. He would make them safe again. All she had to do was trust him and wait for daybreak.

But it seemed so far away...

*

**Stolen shuttle, somewhere in the Mid Rim**

Sev growled irritably, and Etain looked up wearily from her meditation.

"What's wrong now?"

"We're running low on fuel. The idiots didn't bother to leave enough for a return trip."

She stood up, looking over his shoulder at the meter and ignoring his annoyance at her doing so. This wasn't good.

"Will it be enough to last us?"

"Not to Mandalore. We'll have to find somewhere else to land."

Etain consulted the nav system, and after a few minutes she looked up.

"Here. We'll land on Tholatin. I don't think there's a Republic presence, or at least there wasn't last time I head. We can refuel at Esau's Ridge, then head for home."

Sev nodded on affirmation, then entered the new coordinates and changed course. She just wished she could have gotten a message off to Kal. Darman was probably worried sick, and they might need all the help they could get to escape the Republic.

* * *

**A/N: **Can any one find the two Kal quotes? I couldn't resist them. There will be more on Ayo and Reidel next chapter; I just wanted to get them named and some framework laid out here. The same can be said of Sev and Etain. Please R&R. Reviews keep me going at 3 am!


	5. Acting

**Disclaimer: **The only clones I actually completely and legally own are my Denal bobble head and Captain Rex key chain. Therefore, I obviously I have no ownership of SW or Lucas Books. Damn, you're going to drive me into therapy, making me say that!

**A/N:** I'm sorry, I know I haven't updated in several months. Marching season finally ended so I should have more time now. I also apologize in advance for any errors I missed in my once-over edit.

* * *

_"Mandalorians... I don't like them. They have no issues dwelling with us scum and criminals, but they aren't us, despite it. Just as illegal, but they're a whole different ball game. Their own class. They'll make sure you remember it, too. Seeing them swarming around here makes me nervous. As soon as the we've got our parts, I say we blow this place early and get another freight some where else. Whatever they're doing, we don't want to get caught up in it. That's one of the quickest ways to get very thoroughly _dead_._"

-Salishee, a Vahla smuggler, to her ship's Captian

**Esau's Ridge, Tholatin, **

**1091 days ABG**

Tholatin wasn't meant to be paradise; just a planet with lots of rocks, even more dust, and far too much sun. The rocky terrain was filled with canyons that might have once held rivers, but now lay in thirsty silence that was broken only by sound of smugglers' ships.

Etain's heart thundered in her throat, for a minute in time with Sev's even pace and then quicker, louder, until it sounded like a Wookiee's tribal drum. The locals eyed her as she walked weaponless beside the commando. She had to suppress the urge to flee under their sharp, weighing gazes.

Tholatin was _not _Republic friendly. It didn't belong to the Separatists either, but that was no comfort. Tholatin was on its own side, the side of the pirates, mercenaries, criminals and profiteers who had marked it as their territory. Dangerous territory for a wounded Republic soldier and a hunted Jedi Knight.

"Careful, ma'am" Sev growled a warning as they approached the edge of the crevasse that made up Esau's Ridge. A few figures were waiting up ahead, "I don't like the look of this."

Etain didn't need retelling. She kept her head down and walked faster, envying Sev her Trannie, which rested firmly in his grip. _Shab_, she had never wanted that thing so badly as she did now.

It was all part of the ruse, of course. He could no more carry his distinctive Deecee than she her lightsabers. Etain felt naked with out her blades, though, and almost panicked with out her conc rifle. Going in unarmed went against all of her survival instincts, no matter what the plan was. And those sabers were more than just weapons to her. No doubt by the time she and Sec got back, they'd be stolen. For some reason she found that unbearable.

"Two beings up ahead, right before the entrance," Sev told her. "They don't look like guards."

Etain looked up a little and strained to make out the beings, reaching out in the Force as well. One Rattataki and one Rodian.

"They know something's up," she shook her head, "and what ever it is they want, I don't think they'll take no for an answer."

"Then I'll just have to give them something they like even less," the commando replied. His grip on the rifle tightened.

The two beings were no longer so distant; they had left their speeders behind them to approach Sev and Etain. She could see a nasty looking longblaster on the Rodian and Firelance rifle cradled in the Rattataki woman's arms. Again she looked with longing at her Trannie. Tholatin was not only no paradise; she was getting the feeling it might be hell to get out of again.

"Haven't seen you around here before," said the Rattataki, her eyes filled with cool disdain, "have I? We don't take well to strangers here."

Her companion seemed much more excitable.

"Heard from watch a Republic shuttle land here, yes? You on that shuttle?!"

Sev made a irritated noise at the back of his throat, but Etain hastened to be the first one to speak, ignoring the Rodian's accusation.

"We're no one important. We haven't come to bother you..."

The Rattataki snorted. "Well you failed."

"We just need some fuel," Etain continued,her voice rising slightly, "And then we'll leave."

"What do we look like, a fuel depot? Regulars only," scowled the Rattataki, "Outsiders should stick to the Republic way-station on Algara V."

"We just need fuel. We'll leave as soon as we get it, and won't stick our noses in anywhere. You have my word."

"Not worth much, word is," the Rodian told her. His blaster shifted in his hands. "Worth very little, on Tholatin for sure! Not like credits! And what you give us for this fuel? Not words, me hope!"

Etain blinked. She had been wondering the same thing herself since before they landed. It wasn't as if she and Sev had any funds. Jedi weren't payed any more than commandos were, and Republic shuttles sent to worlds like Kashyyyk weren't exactly stocked with emergency funds. It would have to be played by ear, like everything else.

"You will be repaid." She tried to put the Force behind her words. She failed.

The Rodian took a step forward, and behind her Sev tensed.

"You seem awfully eager to leave yes? You running from something, me think. You come in Republic ship, but say you no with the Republic. You need fuel but you no have creds. You want to be far, far from Tholatin. What you running from, girlie?" The Rodian's bulbous eyes narrowed in a hard glare.

Etain couldn't help but swallow hard. The Rattataki woman went from annoyance to none-too-friendly interest.

"We're not running. But being stuck on some dustball Mid Rim planet would be a waste of my ... colleague and I's time." She meant it to sound bold and brash, but it came out for what it was, just a small, scared woman biding for time.

The Rodian began to grin now. The expression looked comical on his face, but everything she felt from him read _feral_.

"You know what me think? Me think you steal that ship from the Republic. Yes. Steal ship, and now they after you. Many ship thieves come to Tholatin."

Etain began to nod in relieved acquiescence, willing to be charged with the small sin of theft rather than the crime of being Jedi, but the Rodian continued, cutting her off.

"But that not all! No, no, no! Who that with you? A clone! One of the Republic's new living droids! Bah! No plain ship thief be with clone! They programmed, they is, to serve the Republic. Republic or the Jedi. You no look like Jedi, girlie, you just look like snack. But you running from Republic and you got clone. So me thinking you must be a murdering Jedi."

There was the silence of three blasters still aimed and ready. Then a deep growl from Sev as the Rattataki laughed.

"A Jedi? Surely even they wouldn't be such idiots as to show their faces right now. Not when they were finally shown for what they were.

Then the woman considered them for a moment longer, her eyes narrowing in a hint of greed.

"But maybe you're right, Gaal. You know, you just might be. Can't say they look like much though. A kid and a flesh droid. Hell, I bet even you could take them. How much you think they'd catch us at the bounty office?"

Even as Etain opened her mouth to speak again, the sound of blasterfire came from beside her.

Sev hadn't waited to be fired on. True to his nature, he shot first, and the Rodian hit the ground with a heavy thud. The Rattataki was quickly falling back, not willing to be taken at point blank range like her partner.

Etain, being unarmed, dashed for cover behind a jagged shard of rock, and used the Force to pull the dead Rodian's longblaster to her. She fumbled with it for a moment and swore, unused to the design, then fired, hitting the woman's leg.

Sev, however, didn't miss his next shot. Etain watched the Rattataki gasp and a bloody hole appear in her chest, then a second. Even as she hit the ground, Sev was turning his attention back to the Rodian. One, two, three, four. _Bang, bang, bang, bang. _The blood and the smell were awful.

"Always," said Sev "make sure they're dead." His voice seemed to hold the tremor of a grudge.

Etain remained still for a moment as her brain absorbed the carnage. The she flung around, beige tunic flapping at the sleeves.

"What the hell was that?!" she demanded, "I was still talking to them! You didn't have to shoot!"

Sev's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, ma'am, just thought you might want me to save our hides."

"I could have still talked them down, Force-persuaded them, something!"

"Your way wasn't working, Mine did. They would have turned us in or shot us momentarily anyway."

Etain bit her lip hard enough that she tasted blood. She had to pull her temper back under control. It was unneeded here as it had been in the Temple. It was a distraction she couldn't afford. The Masters had been right about that much, at least.

Sev had a point, she guessed. They couldn't be trusted. And she couldn't afford to be a Jedi here, not when it would get them both killed.

But still...

She managed to tear her eyes from the bodies and turn to Sev. Still clutching the Rodian's longblaster tightly in one hand, she raked her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Fine. But how do we explain this inside the settlement?"

The slight air of confusion Sev had worn as he watched her try to calm disappeared, replaced by hard certainty.

"We don't. Strip them of weapons, valuables, and ID, ransack their speeders, then hide the bodies. We'll have banged out by the time they're found. If they ask about blasterfire inside..."

Etain had spent enough time with Kal Skirata to know the answer. "We went strangely deaf."

With a sigh she went to search the Rattataki's corpse, leaving the Rodian to Sev and trying pointedly to ignore the blood that got on her hands. She found a paltry amount of creds in the dead woman's pocket, and some kind of pin or broach with a tiny gem that might be convertible to cash creds. No ID card, no identichips, but a pocket of the Rattataki's belt revealed a comlink. Her heart leapt for a moment, then sunk as she realized it was only short-range.

"The _chakar_'s broke _and _dead," Sev grumbled as she turned back around. He nudged the Rodian with a boot in disgust, "50 creds and some holochips. And from the looks of it there won't be much else on the bikes either. Her jacket might fit you, though.

Etain, spotting it, held it up. The jacket was nice, and probably the reason for the Rattataki's lack of credits. Ballistic mesh didn't come cheap. It was at least two sizes too big, but she slipped it on over her conspicuous Jedi tunic anyway.

They still looked like a pair of sore thumbs, Sev in his black bodysuit, Etain in her ascetic trousers and hand-me-down coat. But they'd just have to take that as it was, too. Now if she could just...

Then she saw Sev's possessive grip on her conc rifle, and sighed before she picked up the Rattataki's Firelancer.

Sev hauled the bodies away out of sight and they headed for the entrance to Esau's ridge. It was meant for a ship to land in and had no way for a human to scale the sheer walls of the crevasse in which the settlement was situated, but the stolen speeder bikes seemed to work just fine. No doubt they had been specially equipped for this.

The two landed near the farthest edge of the long ravine in order to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. The sky was clear and bright though, so no doubt they had been spotted by someone scanning the horizon.

The hum of ships was even louder in the depths of the canyon, blending with the sounds of Jizz music, yelling, and somewhere in the background, more blasters being discharged. The place they had landed was already crammed with vehicles just like theirs, and the buildings up ahead were all in a state of disrepair. Every shop or bar seemed to be haphazardly sprawled on top another, in total disregard for Coruscanti safety regulations.

"We've walked into downtown Keldabe..." Sev muttered.

Etain walked forward a few steps, towards the buildings.

"Somehow I think this is exactly the kind of place my Master would have warned me away from. We had better find the spaceport, or whatever serves here. The sooner we get fuel, the sooner we can go. We had better hide these bikes too, some one might recognize-"

"Are you looking for the docks, then?" interrupted a voice from somewhere to their left. A Cordu-Ji woman emerged from the shadow of the canyon. Her eyes glittered in her sharp, wolfish face. Two of her four hands rested on her hips, and the others each held a pistol. At her slight nod, a few other ragtag beings, all armed, stepped forward to join her.

"My name is Lisysos, and I'm Tholatin's chief enforcement officer. We have some questions for you. Let's start with who the hell you are."

"Paying customers," Sev said before Etain could speak.

"Fair enough," the woman replied, tilting her head to the side, greying dark hair pooling over her shoulders "But that's not all. We had reports of trouble upside. First an unknown ship lands some clicks off and spooks off clients, then there's a firefight by the cliff. Would you care to explain how you came across those speeders?"

"Abandoned-" Etain started, but again, Sev cut her off.

"Their owners don't need them anymore," he said, fingering the trigger on his- Etain's- concussion rifle, "Will that be an issue?"

And to Etain's surprise Lisysos chuckled darkly. "Not in Esau's Ridge. Don't make a habit of it though, or I'll get testy. I'd also advise you to leave the big guys alone, for your own good. But second-rate mercs like Hakja Delvita and Gaal won't be missed."

_If she's not here about the deaths, _wondered Etain, _then what's all of this about? What exactly is she enforcing?_

She looked to Sev in confusion, but he wasn't looking her way. His eyes were still on Lisysos, like an animal sizing up a rival predator. The Cordu-Ji even seemed a bit weary of the intensity behind that look.

"You think we might be spooks," he said finally.

"Who's conducting this interview?" snapped the enforcement officer. "But would you blame me? Yej thinks the unidentified ship is Republic, and here you two come strolling into town withing half an hour of its arrival with stolen bikes, no ship, and the strangest wardrobes I've ever seen."

Sev gritted his teeth loudly.

"Trust me, _chakaar_, the last thing I am is grateful to the Republic."

It wasn't untrue.

Lisysos seemed to pick up on the fact that she was being offended, even if she spoke no _Mando'a_. She tensed, her men tensed, and then so did Sev.

"Which you would say even if you were Republic trash. But do you have proof? This looks awfully funny from where I'm standing."

Then Sev was silent, looking as if he'd like very much to simply open fire on them all and remove the obstacle that way, but even he could win against the whole of the Ridge. It looked like they were fracked one way or the other.

Kenobi would have just Force-persuaded Lisysos to let them go free, but Etain wasn't Kenobi and didn't have that kind of skill. Besides, the woman seemed strong minded, so maybe even Kenobi would have failed. It was a little comfort, but not much.

Then a thought struck her. She discreetly opened a pouch on her belt, but not discreetly enough. Suddenly all the blasters were facing her way, even with the Firelancer now dropped to her side.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" cried Lisysos, her eyes widening as she looked, no doubt for a thermal detonator. But what Etain pulled out wasn't a grenade; it wasn't even dangerous. Just a small access identichip, taken from the body of a dead mercenary on Kashyyyk. She had at one point, before Order 66, intended to pass it on to Jaing and see what he could do with it. She held it out to Lisysos.

The Cordu-Ji took it with great caution, and perhaps some sense of foolishness, because she didn't speak until after she had inserted it in a datapad and scanned the contents.

"Your name is Briseis Novem?"

"Yes."

"And you're with the Seps?"

"Yes."

Lisysos looked up again. "There's no picture, no way of confirmation."

With a shaky breath, Etain decided she'd simply have to try it, strong mind or no.

"It's me," she said empathetically, her hand moving ever so slightly at her side.

Lisysos's eyes grew a little hazy for a moment, but still her voice came out strong.

"How do I know?"

"Would I claim to be on the loser's side of a war if I wasn't?" Etain asked, putting all her effort behind it now. There was too much riding on this for her to give into her panic. "I'm Briseis, just like it says on the ID."

Lisysos simply _looked _at them for a minute, gaze inscrutable, and Etain knew she'd failed.

_Oh Force... I'm sorry Sev. I'm sorry Dar..._

But then Lisysos began to nod. With a wave of the hand, she ordered her men to stand down. Several looked disappointed.

"Briseis, then. We have no overwhelming loyalty to the Separatists here, but as you said, you've lost the war. It's just the Republic we have to be concerned with." Seeming confident now in this fact, Lisysos gave an acid little smile. "Our docks aren't discriminate. Your legal status will only matter to the bounty hunters."

Etain didn't quite dare to look and see Sev's expression.

"May I ask where I'd go about getting fuel then, if we're free to go?"

"The docks are on the other side of the market," said one of Lisysos's followers, a gap-toothed Devaronian, seeming slightly more friendly than the woman herself. "Just past Habetaa's bar."

Lisysos nodded, impatient to be going now that the two mysterious strangers had proven inconsequential and a waste of her time.

"Enjoy your business here."

And with a flourish of her long hisp-silk sleeves, Lisysos left for other, more worthwhile targets. The small crowd of thugs dispersed.

Once they were alone, Etain looked again to the clone beside her. "Do we even have enough credits for the fuel?"

"No. We'll have to _appropriate_ it and then bang out, fast."

"Well we might as we do a recce first, then."

Sev moved to head deeper into the settlement, and Etain quickly matched his pace.

"My way," she said as they walked, "works."

**Kirim Spaceport Bar and Restaurant, Capital City, Randon**

**Three days later**

"Maybe a few creds will..."

The Kirian hit the wall with a hard thud, but Darman's grip didn't slacken. He had the man pinned in a heartbeat.

"Don't mess with me, _hutuun_," the clone warned, eyes dangerously dark, "I'm not in the mood for any _osik_. Did you or did you not see them?"

The Kirian only stared on in wide-eyed fright, unable to find the courage to speak in the presence of the sudden rage shadowing Darman's face. He blabbered something unintelligible, screwing his eyes shut and trying to shrink away.

"Answer me!"

Darman was almost shouting now; he was beginning to draw attention but at this point, he didn't care. All that mattered was to get the filthy _shabuir _to talk. Darman needed to know if he had seen Etain. He needed to know if she was alright. Nearly a week's silence had left him frantic.

"I said answer me!"

The Kirian whimpered as he was again slammed against the rough plasticrete wall. Darman felt someone coming up behind him and turned, fully prepared to deal with them, too, but then he saw the familiar green armor.

"Darman," Jusik said, his voice low and warning, "Put him down Dar. People are staring."

Darman bit back the urge to tell Jusik that he'd take care of them next. This _chakaar _had baited him, and if he knew anything about Etain, Darman fully intended to get it out of him, by any means necessary. He had to, she was counting on him, was out there somewhere and maybe hurt-

"Darman!" said Jusik more firmly, reaching out to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "He doesn't know anything. He was just looking for credits." Disgust crept into the blond man's voice.

And as quick as it had come that split-second, eye-blink anger was gone, replaced by a sinking in his chest like ballast sinking in the depths of Manaan. He left the Kirian go, grudgingly, then turned to Jusik.

"It's okay Dar," said Jusik voice still quiet and controlled, "We'll find her. But you won't make things any better by slotting conmen. Try and just ignore them next time, will you? One Sev is bad enough."

"Sorry, _Bard'ika_," Darman replied remorsefully, "It just... came over me. Every time I think of what could have happened to them by now... I just... it's like I'm crazy-"

"I know," Jusik cut him off. "C'mon. Let's go check with the others, see if they found anything."

Darman followed Jusik obediently through the crowd of people, his thoughts a mess. He tried to clear his mind, but to no avail. Etain still danced through his mind, laughing and joyful, then screaming in pain.

Why hadn't she commed him yet?

He could understand, could appreciate, that it probably wouldn't be wise for her to use her old comm right now. It would be all too easy for the Empire to look up those codes, to somehow track her through the comlink. And he guessed that there must be some sort of reason Sev hadn't been able to contact anyone before Order 66 was even given.

But she knew his codes, and if he knew Etain, she knew them by heart. _Kal'buir's_, too. It didn't take much, just a long-range comlink and some kind of uplink or the holonet. Most civilized worlds had public terminals to use even.

So why hadn't she commed?

The only things he could think of were that she was either in a place with no reliable public comm or holonet to use, or that she was badly injured -he wouldn't let himself think 'dead'- and unable to place a call at all.

Assuming it wasn't the latter, he realized it had been a bad idea to come here to Ralon. This was a flourishing trade planet, filled with bazaars and gleaming corporate towers. Exactly the kind of place the Empire would be interested in placing a strong foothold on in the first place. It made no sense for Etain to come here, not if she was on the run with nothing but her lightsabers and a clone for company. Dar had spotted at least two spooks already, enough to justify his use of hair and iris die.

Jusik lead him to a table very close to the exit. Sitting around it were the other members of the _aliit _helping search for Etain and Sev- _Kal'buir,_of course, and Vau, Niner, Parja and Fi. One look at their faces and Darman knew they also had found nothing.

"I'm sorry son," Kal said, pained, as Darman and Bardan took their seats, "This is looking more and more like a bad lead, isn't it? I should have guessed from the beginning."

"You couldn't have known, Kal," said Parja, using that special tone of Mando females that left no room for debate, "None of us could. If we knew that much, we'd already know where to look to find them."

Absentmindedly, Fi tossed Mird a scrap off of his plate of roba melts. The strill caught the bit of meat delicately in its long jaws, but didn't immediately set to chewing. It kept the treat in its mouth but lay its head dejectedly on its paws.

Kal raked his fingers through his hair.

"We've ruled out the Kashyyyk system itself, and Enacca's got eyes and ears out in the Wookiee colonies in the Kwookrrr and Rakhuuun system. I don't think they'd head to another Wookiee planet though. The furballs are noble enough but you know Etain. She wouldn't want to endanger them. Damn, I'm going to kick her _shebs _when we get a hold of her. Sev too."

Vau, still looking into his ale, said nothing. Darman glanced at him, feeling some strange new empathy with the man, but the old Mando seemed determined not to acknowledge it.

"Ah c'mon _Kal'buir," _Fi said. He was doing what he had always done, trying to ease the stain, but his face said it was a strain this time. Parja watched protectively. "Sev's just a psycho. He doesn't know any better."

Kal ignored the interruption.

"We don't have time to check all the systems in the Mytaranor sector. It'll take too long."

Parja tapped her fingers slowly on the table.

"Then let's narrow it down. Radon, Kwookyrrr, Rakhuuun, Kashyyyk are out. The Mytaranor system itself is probably a no-go as well; too many slaver groups. What's that leave?"

"Chamble, Ota, and Tholatin."

"Or they could have left the sector. Have we considered that?" Jusik asked.

Vau slowly shook his head.

"No. Enacca checked their fuel gage before she ran off the rip the arms of the Trandoshans who'd followed them. They would have had to stop somewhere in-sector before they went on. That means stories, that means disguises or stealth. That means time. They're probably still here somewhere, we're just not looking _hard enough_."

Jusik looked hard at Vau for a minute, maybe sensing something, then spoke. "My guess would be Tholatin or Messert, then. Chamble will be crawling with Palpatine's thugs right now, all those droid factories. And Ota's all ice with a primitive people. Not a good place to stop and refuel."

"They wouldn't be dumb enough to head to Tholatin, would they?" Parja asked, "While they're on the run? That places is crawling with two-cred mercs and bounty hunters."

Darman saw for a minute the flash of a blaster firing, heard a scream, then shook his head and spoke up.

"Etain might try anyway. It all comes down to whether she though the Republic- sorry, _Imperial _presence in Messert was more dangerous than the lowlife on Tholatin."

There was a moment's grim silence. Jizz music floated idly from the front of the bar, and a server droid wheeled over to refill their drinks.

"Well," Fi said after it had left, "Etain never had any trouble with slumming it with us criminals before. And Sev should feel right at home; maybe he'll run into someone from the same mental institution."

"Tholatin it is, then," Parja looked to Skirata, "If that's alright, Kal."

Kal nodded.

"Of course, _ad'ika. _The sooner we find them, the better. Let everyone finish up first; tracking isn't something to do on an empty stomach. Then we'll leave."

Darman couldn't still that long. Just as before, he wanted to act _now_. He rose from his chair, leaning forward on the table, and the others looked at him. The soldier part of him was embarrassed by his own impatience and lack of focus, but worried Darman the husband won out.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll meet you back at the _Aay'han_."

Jusik stood up as well, perfectly calm. "I'll go with you."

Darman knew Jusik meant well, but resented it. He didn't need a babysitter. Still, he didn't try to protest as they walked out into the streets towards one of the less reputable bazaars.

The noise and smells were obnoxious, but welcome for their distraction. Plenty of strange beings with stranger goods filled the narrow paths. Here a Trandoshan munching on an unidentified haunch of meat that Dar was reluctant to identify, the smell of spices thick enough to make him gag, and there a Chadra-Fan scuffling hurriedly by with a bulging coat.

The two men drew attention themselves as they examined racks of mostly illegal weapons. Jusik in green _beskar'gam_and Darman in borrowed black and red were both easily identifiable as Mandalorians, even with their _buy'ce _tucked under their arms. Mandos weren't too common here, and the sudden influx of them seemed to be making the locals uneasy.

One merchant, however, seemed bolder than the others, a filthy Duros with a grinning face. He came out some from behind his stall and looked them over, Jusik in particular, then gestured to the lightsaber still hanging from Jusik's belt.

"_Ah, Mandalorians. It's been a long time since I've seen any of you. Not since I was in the Outer Rim, but that's another story. I noticed your weapon. You collect trophies?" _he asked in his native tongue.

"Yes, Traveler," Jusik said using a polite address but a hard voice, "What is it to you?"

"_I have something you might want to see_," the Duros said with a chuckle as he went back behind his stall to grab the item in question, "_Just got it off a scrapper from Tholatin this morning. Worth much more than he usually brings in, but you don't care about that. You know, no offense to you guys but I've always wondered how a regular old Duros like me could really know those trophies you wear aren't just bought, other than the scalps I mean."_

He shuddered a little, then placed something wrapped in stained durasilk on the counter. The shape was odd; Darman's interest peaked. "_Not that I really care one way or the other of course. In fact, I'd be happy to help keep their reps up... so long as they have the creds._"

"Just get to it already," Darman told him.

"_Of course, sir._" With a discreet look around the neighboring stalls, the Duros unwrapped the package. In the midst of the cloth lay two lightsabers, both in perfect condition and recently cleaned.

Two very familiar lightsabers.

_Etain's _lightsabers.

Darman's heart stopped, and then the rage was back. The Duros took an uneasy step back as the clone looked back up again, and pounded his fist against the counter. Several glass vials rattled; one fell off and broke.

"Where did you get these?!"

"_I told you, I told you! Off a scrapper, a scrapper from Tholatin. I don't know anything about them, he just came in with them earlier this morning, same time as he brings his usual haul. Those and some kind of rifle. I didn't recognize it, but it's already sold. I swear, that's all I know!" _

"Darman!" Jusik warned.

"Did he tell you anything about how they were found, or where?! Who the hell is he anyway?!"

"_He-"_

"Darman!"

His first thought was to brush off the warning, to demand from the Duros information, violently if necessary. Instinct, however, sometimes went deeper than conscious thought and he turned around a mere second after Jusik.

Someone, also in armor, was barreling through the crowd towards them. A few of the vendors panicked as the stranger came closer and as he passed began pulling down the covers of their stalls or gathering their goods in their arms. He didn't stop to hassle them; he seemed to be locked on Jusik and Darman.

This was a _bad _place to have a fight, but the figure was already aiming. His armor was made of familiar white plastoid in an unfamiliar design. His weapon was the familiar DC fifteen.

"Freeze, Jedi" the clone's voice ventured from his strange helmet, somehow Darman's not yet Dar's at all, "and you too, _brother._"

* * *

Hello everyone. Yes, I'm still alive. :) _Su'cuy gar_ to you too.

*holds out peanut butter cookies and uj cake as an apology offering for her absence*

I meant to have something about Delta or the cast still at Kyrimorut in this chapter, but the rest just got too lengthy. Besides, reading Imperial Commando had made me realize I completely forgot Ny, Uthan, Scout, and Kina Ha. Whoops. -_-' Still coming up with a way to work them in to the plot...

Last chapter I asked if anyone could find the Kal quotes. In case you're curious they were when Dar told Kad _"It's okay. I'm here, son. I'm here."_ (the same thing Kal told Ordo the first night on Kamino) and when Ordo told Reidel_ "You're safe, I_ promise _you._" (I love that entire first chapter of Trip Zip...)


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